Camping
by floorpie
Summary: Rose and the Doctor do something he's always wanted.
1. Photographs

He awoke groggily, stumbling out of bed and into the shower. Yesterday had been one of those rare days where he'd actually slept; not entirely dreamless, but getting better.

She'd been tired, naturally. If it was up to him, they'd never stop running, but she needed a break every so often. So of course, he'd tried to occupy himself while she slept, tuning up the ship, anything to postpone the inevitable.

Sleep.

He sighed and turned off the spray.

How long had he been out for? Clad in full body armor, he made his way to her room and, upon finding the door open, entered. He could hear her in the shower, and deducted she'd only just awoke as well.

He turned to leave, but stopped at the sight of her bed, specifically the box sitting upon it.

Curiosity had always been he's weak point. He momentarily considered her privacy before opening it, but was glad he didn't. He smiled.

Inside was a photo album. Four teenagers sat in a car, a tough looking brunette teenager, a muscley boy with a thing black beard, Mickey and Rose. It was such an average scene, so human.

He turned the pages and discovered more; the same four friends stopping off at a camping ground, putting up a tent. A holiday.

"What are you doing?"

_Oh! _The Doctor dropped the book with a jump. Rose had come out of the shower, wrapped in two fluffy white towels, one around her head and the other barley concealing, well-_her._ He cleared his throat and avoided her gaze.

Neither of them said anything.

"That's me, when I was seventeen," she supplied rather awkwardly, pointing to the photos.

"Oh?"

"Yeah," she warmed, "Me and Mickey, Shareen and Jimmy. We'd all left school by then, and we didn't really have anywhere to be, so we packed up and drove down the countryside."

The Doctor grinned at her. "You went camping?"

"Of all the things I've done Rose, and I've done an awful lot in my nine-hundred years- I've never done _that_. Never really had the kind of friends to do that with"

"Why not? What were you doing when you were seventeen?" she asked shyly.

"Oh, I was still at the Academy. Studying."

Silence settled over them once more.

"It's not too late," Rose said quietly.

"What?"

"To have that kind of thing… I mean, I know you're not exactly a teenager, but if you'd like we could go camping, you and me. As friends?"

He paused, before enveloping her in a hug.

Minutes later, they stepped out onto a Norwegian beach, hand in hand.

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"Alright, Rose Tyler, you're the expert, teach me about camping!"

She eyed him up and down, in a very unsettling way. "Well, normally I'd say you were overdressed. But Blimey, it's cold out here. Probably shouldn't have let you pick the location."

The Doctor grinned sheepishly.

"But none more on that. We'll have to do; that's what camping is all about. No running back to the Tardis, right?"

It was a secluded beach. The Doctor told Rose there was a small town near by should they need anything, and but it wasn't exactly a prime tourist destination. Rose couldn't see why; sure, if you're looking for a beach holiday, you're probably wanting to go somewhere a bit more, _ahem_, tropical, but she thought the cold windswept plains were absolutely beautiful .

She told him so.

They swapped playful banter as they set up the tent, but neither of their mind's were exactly on task. Actually, both were thinking of how cold it was likely to get at night, and how small the tent was.

When it was up, they both clambered in rather awkwardly. _Definitely small, _thought Rose.

"It's getting dark," she remarked.

"Scared?" grinned the Doctor wolfishly, and Rose's heart fluttered.

"Who me? Nah. Am a bit hungry though,"

"Aha! Leave that to me!" He pulled out two Kit-Kats and handed one to Rose.

"Oooh should've known you'd just bring junk food," Rose cautiously opened the packet. "Mickey said I should lay off this stuff, last time I saw him."

"Why?" the Doctor asked her, genuinely confused.

Rose blushed and lowered her gaze. "Nah, nothing."

"What's the matter Rose?"

Although swelling at the concern in his voice, Rose opted to change the topic, not wanting to expose her insecurities to the one person who's opinion actually mattered to her.

They talked amicably for a while, about there latest adventure- about where they wanted to go next. _Safe neutral talk,_ thought the Doctor. Eventually conversation turned to Rose's previous camping trip. The Doctor asked her about her friends; he heard all about Jimmy Stones, the guy she was seeing, about her best friend Shareen and about her oldest friend Mickey.

"It was the last time everything was going good, that trip. Me and Shareen had just dropped out of school; Mickey hadn't started at the mechanics and Jimmy was clean and everything between us was OK. It was lovely, Doctor,"

A sappy, nostalgic smile reached Rose's face, and the Doctor leant over and grabbed her hand.

"So whatever did you get up to all that time?" he asked innocently.

"Well… you want the clean version?" she joked, "Alright, well, ever played truth or dare Doctor?"

"I haven't…" he replied, still absently stroking her hand.

**TBC**

_Reviews make my day- next chapter will be up... whenever. Probably a similar time tommorow night, yeah? Tell me if you like it. _


	2. Truth and Dare

"Come off it. You must be having me on!"

"No, believe it or not. Deadly serious," he replied.

"Alright, truth or dare. Pick one."

"Pick one?"

"Truth or dare?"

He eyed her curiously. "So I say... truth...?"

"And then I ask you a question. Or if you'd picked dare, then I'd have to dare you."

"And this is what you humans do for fun? Seriously?"

She grinned. "Yes! It's not.. I mean, once you get into it, you never know what you're gonna learn. It's good, I swear!"

"Oh absolutley. So, you didn't ask..."

"Kay, truth. Ahem, truth... what's your favourite colour?" The Doctor looked at her sceptically.

"This regeneration? Well I really don't see..."

"Come on!"

"OK, gold. Now do I get to ask you. Truth or dare?"

"Truth," she answered.

"Alright... what's the real reason you didn't want that Kit-Kat earlier?"

She glared at him. "Cheeky bastard. I told ya, cause Mickey said I should lay off, an he's right. I don't exactly need it."

"Since when did you listen to Mickey the idiot?"

"Whatever, I answered. Truth or dare?"

"Truth"

"Do you ever wash that jacket?" she asked, nodding towards his pinstriped suit. Rose had never seen him without it, even now he still had it on. She'd have said he'd slept in it, but then again he didn't exactly sleep, or so he told her.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he mock-shouted, "You saying I never take it off?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"Fine then!" he replied, and, to Rose's utter suprise, wiggled out of his jacket and tossed it to the floor. "What do you make of that?"

She blushed- for him, seeing him in such a manor, seemed so intimate. Even though the Doctor was still wearing a long sleeved shirt, she felt her eyes looking him up involuntarily, and she shivered. He must of noticed- the atmosphere in the tent suddenly went heavy.

The Doctor watched her lick her lips. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to..." he searched his mind for something appropriate. "To... let me do your hair!"

"My hair?" she coughed. "Alright. You know, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were a bit camp in this incarnation, Doctor."

Taking that as a yes, he sidled over to her. "Nothing of the sort!"

Her throat went dry as he slid his fingers through her hair. Rose gathered the strength to ask her next question.

"Truth," he answered.

"Have you ever... no, nothing."

"What?"

His face was inches from hers now. "Have you ever... had a relationship, with a companion?"

Rose chringed and turned away, and the Doctor took this chance to study her features.

"Just what are you asking?" he breathed.

Restraint snapping, she leant backwards and kissed him.


	3. Running

She kissed him.

It was unbelievable and impulsive, and totally stupid.

And just as she began to pull away, an excuse already formulating, she felt the tiniest of pressure.

And then a bit more.

And then his arms were around her and the Doctor was _oh god_ kissing her back.

Unbelievable.

* * *

She'd kissed him.

_Bad, bad, bad_. He threw away that logical part of his brain and kissed her back.

Kissing Rose was everything he'd imagined. Her soft lips, softer skin, the little sounds she made in her throat. The way her curves felt pressed against him.

And before he knew it, he was pushing her down, pressing her into the floor and...

Things had gotten out of hand. He stiffened and grabbed the hand that was undoing his buttons.

"No, no no no. No!"

He scrambled off her, taking her in, the way her lips were swollen, the little mark appearing on her kneck and the dazed expression in her eyes. He ran.

Fumbling to open the tent, he didn't even bother slipping on his shoes- he just ran- off the beach and up to the hill above, where the Tardis had parked.

* * *

He was gone. Rose processed this slowly.

She tried to make sense of what had happened.

She'd kissed him.

All these months, years of wanting to but never, ever doing anything, and she had kissed him. Alright. Understandable.

And then it seemed he was kissing her back, and then it all went a little blank. And then he was not.

He'd left, she devised. And then her feet sprung into action and she was tearing after him, madly. Up to the hill, she ran calling his name.

The Tardis wasn't there.

_Chapters are too short. I know! Keep the reviews coming and i'll keep the story coming- haven't got round to individualy replying, but I will. _


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